


Vulnerable

by Rawr2013



Category: Wicked - All Media Types
Genre: But gets pretty interesting, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/F, Fluff, Gelphie, Hurt/Comfort, I've never used this platform before so please tell me if I'm doing something wrong, slow to start
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28111842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawr2013/pseuds/Rawr2013
Summary: A story about how Glinda and Elphaba came to meet - their rocky beginnings, their tentative friendship, and their surprising love for one another. Rated T for brief mentions of sexual assault. Nothing graphic, but it does need a warning.
Relationships: Elphaba Thropp/Galinda Upland
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been depressed lately and suddenly I just felt like writing. I'm on an emotional high and this is just falling out of my brain, so we'll see where this goes. The "T" you see are line breaks but I didn't want a whole horizontal line, just an indication of "hey this isn't in the same train of thought as the last paragraph" so sorry if that is annoying. My first time posting on Ao3 so if you hate it pmease tell me gently and I'll crawl back to FF.net

Glinda Upland ran into the pink and white bedroom of her home with a squeal, jumping onto her bed and kicking her legs into the air. She had received correspondence today that she had been accepted into Shiz University's sorcery program, and she was over the moon with excitement. She flipped through the acceptance letter and pulled out the student housing request form from the back of the neatly folded papers. She rolled onto her stomach and stretched her arm over to her desk to retrieve a pen and began to fill out the form without reading it. She neatly printed her full name and all of her personal information in the spaces provided along the top, selected the check box for "private room", and signed her name with a flourish at the bottom. Grinning, she slid off of her bed and made her way to her father's office to have him mail the form off to her future school with a noticeable bounce in her step.

T

Glinda was the pride and joy of her parents and all of the household staff that she had grown up with. As a toddler it was confirmed that she carried the sorcery powers from her mother's bloodline, powers that her mother had personally chosen to cultivate while most other women in the family didn't acknowledge it. The seventeen year old was an only child and belonged to one of the wealthiest families in Gillikin, and as a result she grew up with extensive privilege. Throughout her life she was given the opportunity to study under great mentors many different skills like music, dance, art, acting, and every sport that she could think of from swimming to bowling.

Some activities were one and done; in her first gymnastics lesson when she was 6 she cut her hand on a piece of equipment and got blood on her brand new white leotard. She was taken home by her nanny in a screaming fit and never set foot in that building again, despite begging for gymnastics lessons for an entire year before her parents agreed to it. Some she stayed with for a few months to a year, like art and dance. She was a talented in both, but was frustrated at how subjective the activities seemed to be and got bored of not being the best.

As the blonde hit puberty, her inherent powers became stronger and Glinda had a serious discussion with her parents about her intentions to follow in her mother's footsteps and pursue a career that would let her use her powers to help her stand out among her peers. She worked only with her mother at first, and then one of her mother's trusted mentors for most of her formative years. Glinda was indeed a very powerful sorceress, and as she continued to take control of these powers she set her mind on attending the sorcery program at Shiz University. Now that she had been accepted, she had the summer months between leaving her finishing school and beginning university life to spend with her beloved friends that she had grown up with.

T

Elphaba Thropp sat on the ground with her back against the door of her bedroom, her father's angry voice still booming from across their large home. Her hands were trembling, holding a ripped up folder full of documents that she had intended to hide from her father. She took a deep breath to calm herself and opened the folder, not believing what she had heard her father say. She looked down at the pages in front of her and she had to use the fabric of her dress to dry her tears before they fell. She had been accepted to Shiz University.

T

Elphaba was considered a disgrace to her father from the moment she was born. The girl was born with green skin, black hair, and incredibly sharp teeth. Her father had tried on numerous occasions to starve or even abandon the abomination, but her mother had been so excited to have a child that she couldn't help but feel a connection to her. It was discovered early on that she had an aversion to water, and even the slightest drop on her skin would cause it to bubble up and turn an angry red color.

She grew up mostly in hiding, only allowed to go outside in the early mornings or after nightfall. When she was three, her mother gave birth to her little sister Nessarose, who her father was thrilled was more normal. Nessa was loved deeply but as she grew she did not reach the expected developmental milestones. Their father accused Elphaba of harming the child and demanded that she be left to rot, and her mother admitted to using substances during the pregnancy in hopes that their newest child would not be green like Elphaba.

Their father continued to work as a preacher and dote on his beautiful Nessarose, and their mother quickly fell into a depression and formed an addiction to mind altering drinks that she secured from a man who lived nearby. When she found that she was tiring quickly of caring for her youngest child who seemed to have no function in her legs, she called upon her own childhood nanny to help her care for her girls. Only a year after Nessarose was born, their mother fell pregnant once again, this time with a boy who would be named Shell. The boy had normal colored skin and seemed to have full function of his limbs but during his birth their mother passed away, leaving his father angry at him for taking his wife.

As the children grew up, their Nanny was primarily the one taking care of them. When Shell was able to walk he often escaped out of the house, and one fateful day Elphaba ran out to retrieve him and was spotted by a family living nearby. Suddenly her father was threatened and the family moved to a more remote location where people hadn't heard of the green menace that he had been hiding. Her siblings grew up and were able to go to school, and Nanny spent some secret time with Elphaba during those school days to help teach her things that she would need to know if she could survive. After living in this home for over five years, she was eventually spotted again. The family expected the worst, but this time rumors had been going around and people were just waiting for confirmation that she existed. The people in her community figured that if she had not brought harm to them yet that she couldn't be as wicked as people had feared. She still stayed at home, but her siblings were mercilessly teased for it at school.

She was incredibly smart, and by the time she was a teenager had taught herself to read and write several languages and play the piano. She was very skilled at navigating with maps that her little brother would draw, and she frequently did homework for her siblings.

Months ago, Nanny had come to her in the night with a stack of papers that she had been secretly retrieving from a friend. Nanny knew that Elphaba was incredibly intelligent and had gotten help to have an application to Shiz University brought to the girl. She had no formal education to fall back on, but her Nanny revealed to her that she had a birthright to a higher education because her mother was a member of the most powerful family in Munchkinland. Elphaba was still unsure – mostly because the deadline for submitting that was printed at the top of the first page had passed months ago - but had Nanny help her fill out the admissions forms and let her send them off.

T

Elphaba was still in shock as she read the paper in front of her. The fall term was set to start just a few days from now, and she felt completely unprepared. Before she had time to worry there was a powerful kick to the door that she was leaning against and she was pushed forward, wincing in pain. Her father loomed over her menacingly, more angry than she had ever seen him. Although the correspondence from Shiz was addressed to Nanny, her father had opened it expecting it to be a request for her younger sister to go off to University early. He was appalled at the thought of his oldest daughter applying to a renowned school and ripped up the acceptance folder, throwing it across the table at the green girl and directing his rage at Nanny.

"How dare you disrespect me like this. You have no right to anything this world has to offer. You're repulsive. You're nothing more than an abomination. You're getting the hell out of this house. Tonight!" He punctuated his last word with a kick to Elphaba's side that made her cry out. He made a point to scatter the papers on the floor before slamming her door and stomping down the hall. Elphaba cried silently on the floor, her own tears burning her skin. After things sounded like they had settled down she heard her door open again and held her breath, expecting the worst.

"Child, get up off of the floor!" she heard her Nanny whisper. Elphaba struggled to sit up and pulled herself onto a chair. Nanny was holding a pouch of money and looking around the room for something to pack the green girl's clothes in. She explained as she walked around the room collecting essentials that there was a train station not too far away and that she could use the money to travel to Shiz and find her way to the school. Her little brother came to help, sacrificing one of his book bags for his favorite sister to pack up her clothes and personal items. He gave her a map that he had drawn of the area where they lived, and quickly penciled in a route that she could take to the train station. He also gave her a map of Shiz that he had traced out of a textbook years ago, making her promise that he could come visit her one day and map it out himself.

Within an hour she had collected everything that meant something to her and most of her clothes into the black bag that her brother wore on his back when he walked to school. He helped her put it on her back and she quietly made her way to her sister's room to kiss her goodbye. She walked outside with Nanny and Shell, and gave them warm hugs as she felt a pit begin to form in her stomach. She wasn't sure that she would ever be able to see her family again, but Nanny assured her that they would find a way to stay in contact. Nanny put the money pouch in a pocket of the bag closest to the green girl's body and gave her one last firm hug before sending her off to find her way to school.


	2. Chapter 2

Glinda's first duty at the university was a long, boring orientation with her parents and the other incoming students and their parents. She was delighted to meet some other girls who seemed to be interested in the same things that she was, but she was sad to see her parents go when it came time for the room assignment meeting. She gave both of them several hugs and tearful kisses goodbye before Madame Morrible officially declared that the meeting would begin in a moment.

All of the incoming female students were seated in a small auditorium, with a wrinkled woman with a wretched face on the stage before them. The headmistress introduced herself and droned on for half an hour about the university and things that the girls could expect as new students. When she finally moved on to instructions for the room assignments, the girls all perked up.

"First I will be calling the names of the students to be living in private rooms. As you hear your name, please come to the front of the room and collect your room key. Once you have your key you may exit through the door to your right and the dormitory is just across the path." Glinda listened attentively as names were called and girls just like her walked up to the woman to get their room keys. "Now, the rest of you will be sharing a dorm with a roommate." Glinda's heart dropped. "As I call your names in pairs, please come and get your key and make your way to your room. I advise that you visit the room before you bring any bags and discuss which side of the room you want and how you would like to share the limited space that you have in your bathrooms."

The blonde's face was flushed and her heart was racing. She was so sure that she would be selected to get a private room and hoped that the woman had simply missed a name. She started to breathe easier as the list of girls to be paired up was almost over and there were only two other girls in the room with her. Madame Morrible called their names and they went to collect their keys, making friendly small talk as they exited the auditorium.

"Miss Glinda Upland?" the headmistress called. Glinda jumped to her feet and made her way to the front of the room. "It has come to my understanding from the housing selection board that you did not complete your housing application in full, so you were automatically pushed to the bottom of the list for room assignments. What a shame for a young lady of your background to not follow simple instructions. My dear, you must pay more attention to details if you wish to be successful at this University, do you understand me?"

"Yes ma'am, I apologize. I must have been too excited and missed something." The woman put up her hand to silence her and Glinda took a step back.

"There was an exceptionally large incoming class this year, and I'm afraid all of the double rooms have been filled. Your room will be on the first floor of the building, directly to your left when you walk in. It is traditionally used as a room for an upperclassman mentor, but the committee decided to devote the building to first year students only." Glinda bounced in place and smiled, thrilled that she would be getting a room to herself after all. She opened her mouth to thank Morrible, but the woman continued speaking. "Since we had a late admission who didn't have the opportunity to fill out paperwork, we have put a second set of furniture into the room, but there is only room for one wardrobe so you will have to share."

The blonde's smile disappeared and her heart dropped. Not only would she have a roommate; she would have to share a room that was intended for only one occupant. She felt tears well up in her eyes as Madame Morrible handed her a small envelope with a key inside and a number boldly written across the front. "Your roommate is Miss Elphaba Thropp. She is a Munchkin heir and has not attended school before, not even as a child. She is quite odd, and I hope that you will come to me if the two of you have any issues living together. She arrived early this morning and has already moved in, so please knock as you enter. Do you have any questions?"

Glinda blinked back her tears and gulped down the lump in her throat. "No ma'am. Thank you."

Madame Morrible nodded and gestured to the door where all of the other girls had departed before her. She heard the woman's shoes stomp away on the stage and winced when the lights clicked off, leaving her and her bags in the dark. She hoisted her smaller bag onto her shoulder and pulled the larger one on wheels behind her, ducking her head down as she left the auditorium and crossed the paved pathway between the two buildings. She walked into the residence hall and double checked the room number on her key folder with the number on the door immediately to her left. She took a deep breath and put on a fake smile, knocking gently on the door as she took her key out of the tiny folder. Just as she reached her hand out for the doorknob, the door opened to reveal a tall, skinny girl with green skin. She gasped despite herself and took several steps back, checking the room number again and again, hoping that this was nothing but an awful dream.

A quiet voice quickly pulled her out of her spiraling thoughts. "I'm Elphaba Thropp, you must be my roommate. Unfortunately this isn't a trick; I really am green." Glinda looked at her in stunned silence. "Well, are you going to come in?" The blonde blinked her eyes a few times before nodding and stepping into the room. It was empty except for the furniture the university provided and a black backpack sitting on the floor with a book placed on top of it. "They told me when I got here that I would have a roommate, so I didn't really touch anything. I don't care where I sleep so I thought I would wait for you to choose."

Glinda still couldn't find any words, and she kept glancing around the room and then back to the green girl standing beside her. She sighed and chose the bed on the left side of the room, farthest from the restroom door. She took a seat on her bed and surveyed the room as her roommate put her bag on the floor by her bed and started to put a fitted sheet over her mattress. The room was much smaller than the room she had grown up in, and she could hardly believe that she was expected to live in such a small space with another girl. She pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil to map out her new bedroom, planning to send it off to her parents along with a plea that they save her from this mess that she found herself in.

The door to the room was in the corner, with the door to their restroom directly to the right if you were standing inside the room. The wall with the entrance door had a dresser with six drawers and a closet-like wardrobe on top for clothes that needed to hang up, and the large piece of furniture just barely allowed room for the door to open at a 90 degree angle. The left and right sides of the room were nearly identical; a twin sized bed pushed into each corner with two small nightstands wedged in between them with not an inch of space to spare. In the center of the room, positioned over the nightstands was a small window with blinds but no curtains, which made Glinda wrinkle her nose. At the end of each bed there was a desk with a hutch built on top of it that was anchored to the wall to be sure it would not fall.

Glinda scribbled across the page quickly and finally ripped the page from her notepad, placing it on her bedside table with a huff. She glanced up at her roommate who had made her bed with only a gray fitted sheet and a thin blue blanket, with a scrawny pillow at the top. The girl had turned on the lamp on her nightstand and was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed, reading the book in her lap with a pair of glasses slowly sliding down her nose. Glinda shook her head to clear her thoughts and set to work putting a brand new pink sheet and comforter set on her bed. She began to take out her clothes and hang them in the wardrobe, trying to only take half of the available space but failing miserably and filling at least two thirds of it. She made up for it by only taking up two drawers beneath the wardrobe with socks and undergarments and several styles of shoes.

She ventured into the small bathroom and put all of her shampoo, conditioner, and soaps in one corner of the bathtub. She moved to the sink and put most of her things in the storage cabinet underneath the left side, but kept a bottle of perfume and one of hand soap on top of the sink. She carefully placed her bath towel on the rack hanging from the wall, and draped a face towel over a small circular hook beside the sink.

She went back into the room and put a few things in the storage provided at her desk and checked the clock. It was getting late so she got some nightclothes and retreated into the bathroom to change. When she emerged she watched the other girl go into the bathroom with her nightdress as well. Glinda took the opportunity to get an extra blanket from her bags and step up onto her nightstand to drape it over the empty curtain rod. The blonde was not a morning person and the thought of sunlight creeping into her room through this window made her head start to ache. She was on her tiptoes and struggling when her roommate emerged from the restroom with a confused look on her face. The green girl made her way over and reached up to pull the bottom edge of the folded blanket through the space between the wall and the curtain rod. Glinda muttered a small thanks as she evened out the blanket and stepped from the nightstands to her bed and plopped down.

Glinda crawled beneath her blankets and positioned herself on her side facing the wall. She felt overwhelmed by her bad luck that day, and was livid with herself for not reading the instructions on the housing request form. She was also astonished that the housing committee had decided to make her live with Elphaba Thropp. Glinda had heard about the green girl growing up, but had assumed that it was a joke when people said that she had ugly green skin. She briefly turned her head to look at the other girl, still illuminated by her lamp, just to double check that she was actually green all over. From the black hairline all the way down to her bare feet, the girl was indeed a deep green color. Readjusting on her bed, Glinda huffed and closed her eyes tightly, thinking of the things that she could do tomorrow in the final day before classes began. Maybe she could go shopping. Maybe she would meet some new friends! She was in the middle of wondering what might be available in the dining hall for breakfast when she heard her roommate putting things down and presumably getting comfortable in her bed. There was a brief period of silence and then the click of the lamp turning off. Glinda took a deep breath and forced herself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Elphaba was used to being ignored. She actually preferred it, because when she wasn't being ignored she was typically being made fun of. Thankfully her novelty wore off quickly around her university campus and after a few weeks of people pointing and whispering, she was able to live in peace. She kept to herself, always choosing to sit in the back of her classes and never socializing. She had no experience with formal education, and she never spoke up when her professors prompted the class with a question even if she was sure of the answer.

She was almost two months into her college education, and the only thing that still occasionally made her feel stressed was her blonde roommate. Glinda was a socialite sorceress, and was hardly in their shared bedroom. On school nights she spent most of her time doing homework in a common room down the hall or with her friends in their own dorm rooms. On weekends sometimes she didn't even return to the bedroom until Sunday night, usually coming back with bags that contained new clothes or shoes. The girls had not spoken much to each other at all, only quietly muttering things like "sorry" and "thank you" as they navigated their tiny room together.

The green girl was not used to sharing a living space with someone else, and when she was growing up around her family she was used to hearing in great detail when she did something that someone didn't like. Glinda didn't talk to her about anything, but she communicated a lot with a variety of huffs and puffs when she was in the room. For the first three days of classes the girls would get up at the same time and Glinda would sigh loudly from outside the bathroom door as she waited for Elphaba to change clothes in the morning, so Elphaba started changing in the bedroom while Glinda changed in the bathroom and put on her makeup. The blonde exhaled sharply out of her nose as she turned off her own desk lamp every night, and Elphaba began to use that as a cue to finish whatever she was doing quickly and shut off her lamp as well. When she still had work to do, she would light a candle so she could still work but not disturb the girl.

This week in particular, Glinda had spent more time in their room than ever before. Elphaba initially assumed that the other girl would be doing homework or studying, but the blonde spent the majority of her time sitting on her bed, legs crossed with a pad of paper in her lap and a pencil in hand. Typically she was drawing, sometimes writing, and occasionally just staring at an empty page. This particular Thursday afternoon, Glinda was vocalizing her frustrations with something more than usual, and when Elphaba turned to look at her the girl was holding her face in her hands.

"Is ev-", Elphaba's voice cracked as she spoke her words softly. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Is everything okay Miss Glinda?" The blonde immediately straightened her back and turned to look at her roommate. She rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair with a deep sigh, interlocking her fingers at the back of her scalp and tugging her hair up and away from her head. She made eye contact with her roommate and furrowed her eyebrows together. "If I'm doing something that bothers you please tell me so I can change it. I have figured out a few things I do that annoy you but I don't know what I'm doing wrong this time."

"Everything is fine, you aren't any problem." the blonde said, looking away from Elphaba and back down to the paper in her lap. "I've had a falling out with a friend, and she was the only friend I have who is decent with math. I'm sorry that I bothered you." The girl kept her eyes down, so Elphaba chose not to continue the conversation. Elphaba spent a few more hours working at her desk before moving to her bed to read. She was left handed, and she liked to lay on her side and prop her head on her right hand while reading and taking notes on a separate page with her left hand. The day had been full of exams for the green girl, and she didn't realize how tired she was. Soon she had drifted to sleep with her head still propped up on her hand, her palm pressing the bridge of her glasses into her nose.

She didn't know how long she had dozed off for, but she awoke abruptly when she heard a frustrated yell from her roommate and opened her eyes in time to see the girl angrily toss her notebook to the floor. Elphaba looked shocked, and Glinda apologized quietly with tears in her eyes as she slammed the bathroom door. The green girl looked down at the floor at the page full of angrily crossed out math problems. She slid out of bed and picked it up with a disappointed look; this page was full of _the same_ math problem done incorrectly over and over again. Suddenly she understood Glinda's frustration and the quiet crying that she could hear coming from the bathroom. Elphaba went to her own desk and got a fresh sheet of paper and rewrote the beginning equation and then solved it, looking back to Glinda's work and making notes on this fresh copy of the steps that had been missed.

She put the younger girl's notepad on her nightstand with her completed equation beside it and went back to her desk to put away her pencil and get her school books ready for the next day. While she was there, Glinda emerged from the bathroom with a red tear stained face to fetch some nightclothes and a fluffy towel, then quickly retreated back to the small room. Elphaba heard the bathtub begin to run so she took the opportunity to quickly change into her nightclothes and lay down in her bed to go to sleep.

The next morning she went about her day as usual, going to classes and then spending the rest day finishing the week's work in the library. Elphaba liked to finish her work for the weekend on Friday so she could have time to relax on the weekends. She was an excellent student, but it had taken her a while to get used to being around so many people and sitting through lectures and classes at day and having work and reading to complete during her free time. She wanted to spend her free time reading for pleasure instead of only studying for her classes, and weekends were the only time that she really allowed herself to do that.

She was startled when she entered her dorm room and found Glinda sitting at her desk working. The girls nodded to each other when they made eye contact and Elphie went to put her school things away on her desk. As she put her things down a square sheet of pink paper attached to the bottom of her hutch caught her eye. In simple black script the words "thank you" were written, and Elphaba found herself smiling. She turned to look back over her shoulder and noticed the page that she had used to solve her roommate's math problem was propped up against the wall, and the blonde was working while referencing it to keep herself on track.

Elphaba got her nightclothes from her dresser drawer and disappeared into the restroom to clean herself with special oils and change clothes. She came out and tossed her dirty clothes into a laundry basket that she kept beneath her bed and selected a book from the hutch on her shelf to read. She lay on her side and got comfortable in bed, reading by the light of Glinda's lamp on the other side of their room and only made it through three pages before she drifted off to sleep.

When she awoke the next morning she could feel a bruise on the bridge of her nose from where she had been applying pressure to her glasses. She groaned as she sat up to stretch and noticed her book on the floor beside her bed, the pages bent out of shape from being pressed open against the carpet instead of closed against themselves. She hummed to herself as she straightened out the pages and closed the book, putting it down on her nightstand. She spread her legs and arms to form an X with her body and pushed her shoulders back in a stretch, singing out a few words of the tune that she had stuck in her head. She froze in place when she heard a yawn and the rustle of blankets. It was her roommate, home for the first time this term on a Saturday morning. Elphaba quickly got back in her bed and turned to face the wall, embarrassed that she had woken the girl. She squeezed her eyes shut and took deep breaths for a few moments, waiting for Glinda to get up or say something to her. Instead, she heard the stuttering wheeze of the girl snoring. Elphaba sighed with relief and got back underneath her blankets and resigned herself to going back to sleep, not knowing what to do on her day off with the other girl in the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Throughout the rest of their first term at Shiz, Elphaba and Glinda started to communicate more. Glinda had created a sort of message board on their door where they had been leaving each other notes. Glinda didn't want to bother Elphaba while she was working, so she would leave homework problems she needed help with or notes of encouragement for upcoming projects or exams on the door to their room. Elphaba had caught on quickly and would solve problems and be sure to circle or draw arrows to important steps in the process to solve it. Her favorite was when her wishes of good luck were met with simple smiling faces.

Looking at the paper on their door, Glinda grinned. Most of their exchanges were initiated by Glinda, but at the beginning of the week Elphaba had written a reminder of a step Glinda frequently missed when doing her math problems along with an encouraging "I know you can do it!" on the morning that the blonde had her final math exam. Glinda had returned that night and written back in all capital letters, "Thank you for all your help! I only missed one problem!"

This morning another message had been added. "The cafeteria seems to have heard about your stunning success and they're serving your favorite potato soup with bacon tonight." The green girl had ripped the dining menu for the week off of the student newsletter and circled Thursday night's meal options. Glinda felt herself grinning and bounced on her toes a few times before thinking of a response. She got a small adhesive notepad and wrote "join me for dinner tonight?" Before ripping off the top sheet and putting it in her notebook that she would take to her first class.

The blonde grabbed a bagel and fruit for her breakfast and skipped to the humanities building. The girls were taking several of the same classes, but Elphaba got an earlier start to her day and chose the earliest classes available. Elphaba was always the last one out of her class, so when all of the other students had cleared out Glinda made her way into the large lecture hall.

Her Ozian history professor looked up from his desk. "Miss Upland, you do realize that you're ten minutes early?"

"Yes sir, sorry! I just needed to bring something to my roommate." She gestured to Elphaba as she was buckling the clasp on her backpack.

The professor nodded and stood from his desk. "Alright then. I'm going to fetch some papers to hand back to your class and another coffee from my office. Enjoy your holiday Miss Thropp." Elphaba nodded as the man left. She was surprised to see her roommate, and wondered if she had left something behind in their room.

Glinda bounced up to the green girl and proudly handed her the note. Elphaba blinked a few times and nodded. "Sure, but why didn't you just ask me instead of writing it down?"

Glinda's face flushed pink. She realized in an instant that even after living together for a full college term that she hadn't actually spoken to her roommate more than once. Her eyes fell to the floor and she mumbled. "I guess I'm just so used to talking to you on paper. I'm sorry." She kept her eyes on the ground as she stepped past the girl to take her seat in the classroom. She sat down and rested her forehead on her hand, pressing down so hard that she began to see swirls of color inside her eyelids.

She heard some of her classmates in the hall and was about to look up when she felt Elphaba's fingertips brush hers on the desk as she slid a note beneath Glinda's hand. She heard the other girl leave the room as her classmates entered, and as the other students took their seats around her and invited her to join their conversation she peeked at the note beneath her hand. In her roommate's neat handwriting she read "I would love to. I'll meet you in the dining hall at 6:30."

T

Glinda finished up her classes for the day and went to her dorm room to get started packing her clothes to go home for the winter holiday break. She kept a close eye on the time and grabbed a small box from her dresser drawer and put it in her handbag before leaving to meet Elphaba in the dining hall.

She arrived and collected a tray of food; her favorite potato soup with a fresh slice of bread, a small plate of steamed vegetables, and a glass of lemonade. Instead of walking to sit with her friends at one of the round tables in the center of the room she made her way to a booth on the edge of the cafeteria where she usually saw her roommate eating alone. It wasn't long before Elphaba walked in and she waved, watching the green girl get a tray and select her dinner.

"Hey, what's going on over here?" She heard the voice of one of her friends approaching. He stood at the edge of her table and gestured to her tray. "Make your first A of your university career and you decide to ditch us peasants?" Glinda opened her mouth to respond, but the boy cut her off. "Aren't you excited to have the next 3 weeks away from this dump? I bet you're more than happy to spend some time away from that atrocious green bean of a roommate."

Glinda's eyes fell on Elphaba, who was walking up to the table when the boy made the rude remark. She was turning to go somewhere else when Glinda spoke up. "Yes Fiyero, I'm just as excited as anyone is for the holiday break. But my roommate's name is Miss Elphaba and she's actually joining me for dinner. I will see everyone at the end of term party tomorrow night. Now, if you will excuse us."

The boy looked at her with a confused expression but her words clicked when he saw Elphaba sit down across the table from his friend. He stumbled over a greeting and awkwardly turned to go back to his table of friends. She couldn't help but notice that several tables were staring in their direction. "You would think that the novelty of a green girl on campus would have faded by the end of the term," Glinda said, turning her attention to Elphaba with an annoyed look.

"I'm not the novelty; it is the fact that you're sitting with me that has them all staring. I'm sorry if being seen with me is hurting your social status."

Glinda scoffed, "Choosing to study after I failed my first round of exams is what damaged my social standing. I had a lot of fun at the start of the term but I wasn't actually learning anything. My parents wrote to me that they were disappointed and I started spending more time on maintaining grades than making friends. Let them stare, they will get used to seeing us together eventually. So where are you headed for the holidays Miss Elphaba?"

The girl looked down at her plate and pushed a carrot around her bowl of vegetable soup. "I'm actually staying here. My family doesn't really celebrate winter holidays and when I left for school I was told that I wasn't welcome back. What about you?"

Glinda's smile fell and she felt herself sink into the padded seat of the booth. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm leaving tomorrow to go home to Frottica and spend the holidays with my parents. What are you going to do when the dining hall closes? How will you eat?" Glinda was surprised that she felt concerned for the girl, and the uncomfortable eye contact they made showed that Elphaba was equally confused.

"My brother drew me a map of the surrounding area when I came here and notated some shops and restaurants right off campus. I will get some fruits and bread from here the night that they shut down and I will visit a few restaurants on the days that they are open. I will be fine, Miss Glinda."

Glinda smiled and took a few bites of her meal. She perked up when she remembered the gift that she had put in her bag for Elphaba. She took it out and slid it across the table. "What's this?"

"It is a gift, silly! I must admit that I wasn't your biggest fan when we first met, but I think that we make a great pair as roommates and wanted to get you something!"

Elphaba's face darkened. "Miss Glinda I can't accept this. I didn't get anything for you."

"Oh, just open it! I don't need any holiday gifts anyway. I saw this in the campus bookstore and just knew you had to have it." Glinda watched expectantly as the green girl wiped her hands on a napkin and lifted the cover of the white box. Inside was a miniature lamp that seemed to be battery powered, attached to a flexible post with a sturdy clip on the end. She opened the clip and secured it to their dinner table and pressed a button on the back of the light. Suddenly their table was more illuminated, and the girls shared a smile. "I know you would probably stay up later than me if you could, but the lamps we have are dreadfully bright. This way I thought you could work longer at your desk or read longer in your bed if you wanted."

Elphaba smiled and clicked the light off again. "Thank you Miss Glinda, this is a very thoughtful gift. I love it."

Glinda smiled sweetly and helped Elphaba unclip the lamp from their dinner table and put it back in the box. "Would it be okay with you if we added a piece of furniture to our room?"

Elphaba took a bite of her bread and nodded. "I'm not sure if anything else will fit, but if there is space you can do anything you want. What furniture are you interested in getting?"

"Well there is no comfortable place to sit other than our beds. I was hoping to get a chair or small couch like the ones in the common room down the hall. I was actually planning on stealing one from the common room to test if it would even fit." The blonde giggled when her roommate's eyes widened. "I guess a better word would be borrowing. If we moved something I would certainly return it."

Elphaba agreed and they talked about their options of rearranging things in the room if needed and how they could sneak a piece of furniture from the room all the way down the hall. They finished eating and set out on their mission to move a loveseat to their room. First they surveyed their room at Elphaba's suggestion, and confirmed that their desks we're both anchored to the wall, but the dresser was not. They worked together to push it as close to the door as possible while still being able to open it a full 90 degrees. They stepped back and examined the space, thinking surely a small couch would fit.

They made their way down to the common room and started to drag the piece of furniture down the hall. They struggled to get it into the door and Glinda grumbled that she wish she knew a shrinking spell. Without much thought, Elphaba muttered something and the 2 seated couch was suddenly the size of a pillow. Glinda jumped back, letting out a frightened shriek.

Elphaba looked from the tiny couch to her roommate a few times and then heard someone approaching. They picked up the tiny but heavy couch together and backed into their room, Glinda using her foot to slam the door and causing their sheets of messages and math problems to float to the floor.

"You never told me you were a witch!"

"To be fair, we haven't spoken more than a sentence to one another until 30 minutes ago." Elphaba was now breathing heavily, hands on her hips and an irritated expression on her face.

"You're right," Glinda looked down at the floor. "You didn't seem very talkative and I didn't want to bother you while you studied. That's why I started communicating with this." She used her foot to stomp on a page of notes and twisted it angrily beneath her shoe. She felt small and embarrassed, and she could feel a redness creeping up her neck and into her face. She held her breath, willing herself not to let the tears fall from her eyes.

Elphaba said her roommate's name but knew that she wasn't being heard. She carefully reached out her hand out and used her pointer and middle fingers to gently raise the girl's chin. A single tear fell as they made eye contact, and Elphaba used her thumb to wipe it away and immediately wiped her hand on her dress. "I'm sorry I sounded harsh. Why don't we see if we can make this fit in the corner and then work on formal introductions?"

Glinda nodded her head and looked back down to the miniscule couch. "Really Elphaba, if you could do that then why didn't we just shrink it down to bring it down the entire hall?"

"Because you didn't mention that as an option until it was stuck in the doorway of our room!" The green girl said with a chuckle. They moved the small couch to the middle of their room and they both stepped back as Elphaba used magic to return it to its original size. They pushed it into the space they wanted it and decided that it did not fit the way they liked. Glinda also wasn't a fan of that style of couch anyway, so they shrunk it down and traded it for a comfortable looking chair. Once it was in their room Elphaba magically made it a little larger and Glinda exclaimed that it was perfect. The blonde grabbed a blank notebook and a pen and plopped down into the chair, patting the empty space beside her to invite Elphaba to sit down.

The blonde wrote both of their names at the top of the blank page and drew a line down the middle. "Do you have any nicknames?"

"What do you mean?" Elphaba looked puzzled, which made Glinda smile.

"You know, a nickname! My name is legally Galinda. With a Ga. But instead I just go by Glinda. My parents call me Galindadoodle. Some of my friends at home shortened it further to just Glin. What do people call you?"

Elphaba thought for a moment. "My father always just calls me Elphaba, and sometimes just refers to me as child. My sister has never called me by anything other than my given name. My little brother couldn't say my name easily when he was growing up, so he called me Elphie instead. He also calls me Sis when we're not in the same room as Nessa."

Glinda scratched out the name Elphaba and replaced it with Elphie and made a bullet point beneath her name. "Has younger sister and brother," she said out loud as she wrote. "What else?"

Elphaba watched as Glinda finished what she was writing and began to doodle along the line dividing the page in half. "I don't know what else to say."

"Well we can learn something about me and then we'll bounce back to you. Okay?" Elphaba nodded. "I'm an only child, and was at the top of my class all throughout school in Frottica. I didn't realize how much of an adjustment it would be transitioning to University life, and I'm afraid that I disappointed my parents."

Elphie frowned as she watched the blonde put two bullet points under her own name, writing 'only child' and 'disappointment' beside them. The blonde looked expectantly at Elphaba, meaning that it was the green girl's turn to speak. "My father never cared for me. He tried to have me killed as a baby, but my mother felt too connected to me so she wouldn't allow it." Glinda gasped quietly but didn't write anything. "My mother took several different medicines while she was pregnant with my sister, and as a result my sister is not green, but she also has no use of her lower body and is bound to a wheelchair. Mother died while giving birth to my baby brother, who thankfully is both able bodied and… not green?"

Glinda giggled a little at the way the last words came out. She added a few things to Elphie's side of the paper and took a deep breath. "I'm notoriously flaky." She looked at her roommate and was met with a confused gaze. "Historically I give up on things pretty easily. I had exactly one gymnastics lesson as a kid. Maybe a week of swimming and a couple of months each of every sport that girls were allowed to play. I spent just over a year as a dancer and quit when another girl joined the studio and was better than me. I hit exactly one and a half years of art classes before the teacher started paying more attention to another student and I got jealous. I'm starting to get fed up with myself here lately because I came here to study sorcery but there are many people in my classes that are better than me and that makes me want to quit. My parents only paid for me to attend Shiz because they thought I would be a successful sorceress, and I feel like I'm letting them down."

The blonde put a bullet point and wrote 'Flaky' beside it, and indented it underneath with two dashes that she labeled as 'quitter' and 'jealous'. Elphaba rolled her eyes and took the notebook from her roommate. "You're not allowed to write about yourself anymore." She crossed out some of the negative things the blonde had written about herself and added a few new bullet points. 'Friendly', 'Sociable', 'Determined to succeed'. Glinda smiled despite herself and playfully huffed as she pulled the notepad into her own lap and took the pen from her roommate, adding a point on Elphie's side that said 'Left handed'.

"The only reason I'm at Shiz is because my Nanny got me a set of admission papers. I'm the heir apparent to become the governor of Munchkinland in the case that my great grandfather dies, so my status granted me admission into the university. I never attended school as a child, so I'm just thankful for the opportunity to learn." She watched Glinda make notes and finally put the pen down. "Well that was an informative talk. It is good to know more about you. And not be afraid to speak to you."

Glinda smiled and stood up from her seat, extending her hand to help Elphie up. "I spent an entire term socializing with friends over three meals a day and going out shopping, but I feel like now you know me better than any of them. I'm sorry it took us so long to do this."

"Well we always have next term," Elphaba said as she turned her torso side to side to stretch. "Now let's put this chair back before they kick us out of the school."

Elphaba shrunk the chair down and Glinda picked it up to carry it down the hall. "We still never discussed that you're a witch. How did you learn to do this so effortlessly?"

Elphaba held the door to the common room open so Glinda could bring the chair in. She returned it to its original size and shrugged. "I didn't really learn, I just figured out that I could do it. My father forbid me from doing anything like this growing up, so I haven't really done anything like this since I was a child." Glinda was impressed with her roommate's magical ability, and they talked a little about magical bloodlines as they made their way back to their room.

They took turns washing up and changing clothes in the bathroom and said goodnight to each other, surprised to see that it was already the next day. Elphaba promised to help Glinda pack in the morning, because after one more day of classes they would officially be finished with their first term of university and take a three week intermission for the winter holiday break before returning to finish out their freshman year.


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Glinda got home during the winter break, she wrote a letter to Elphaba. She had arrived home to a lecture from her parents about not doing well during her midterm exams and how she wasn't detail oriented enough for university. "Just think – you wouldn't be stuck with that awful roommate if you would have simply followed simple instructions on the housing forms!" Her father was being especially harsh with her, which she was not prepared for. Too shaken up to fight back, Glinda retreated to her room and started writing out how her living situation had actually been beneficial to her.

After collecting her thoughts and taking a warm bath then a short nap, she went downstairs to have dinner with her parents. They had talked about different things that had surprised her about the transition to university life when the topic of her housing situation came up again. "Next year in the fall we will see to it that you get a better room, and more importantly a better roommate. I will help you fill out your housing request form to ensure that you are placed in a room with a better intellectual match for you so that you can be more successful next year." Her mother's speech commanded the attention of the table, and her father was nodding along and making sounds of approval as he chewed his dinner.

"Actually," Glinda chimed in when it seemed like her mother was finished speaking. "I may just request to live with Elphaba again next year. I would like to have a bigger room of course, but I rather enjoy living with her."

"You wrote that she was keeping you up at night while she was studying," her mother said, exasperated.

"And then I wrote you that she started working by candlelight when she knew I was trying to sleep!"

"She was taking so long to get dressed in the morning that you were missing your first class because you were still getting ready." Her father had set down his knife and fork and looked angry with her.

"Then she started letting me change clothes first! Every morning she lets me change in the bathroom and she changes in our bedroom."

"You've been living together for months now and still hardly know each other! All of your friends from school were able to bring their roommates home to visit during this holiday, but since you were too lazy to properly fill out one form you're stuck with the school freakshow!" Her mother's face was red and she had backed away from the table.

Glinda took a deep breath, looking back and forth between her parents. "We were both having a hard time adjusting to life in a new place, with a new person. We stayed up all night and well into the next morning talking to one another the day before I left. The only reason I didn't invite her to come home with me is because I know she would have said no."

"Oh for Ozma's sake Galinda, the girl is _green_!"

"And she helps me with my homework. She's the reason I figured out how to properly study and why I finished the semester on good terms with the university. I was failing my math course at midterms and I had an A in the class after my final. You have to trust me, I'm perfectly happy living with her. We just needed time to get to know each other! I can't believe that you raised me to be kind to people who were different my whole life, but now that I'm living with someone who is different from the rest of Oz suddenly _you're_ the ones calling her names." Glinda's face was red and she could see swirling images across her vision that pulsated along with her heartbeat.

Her mother softened first, stabbing a potato onto her fork. "Whatever you say, Galindadoodle. The offer still stands if you change your mind before next school year starts."

"I don't want to get another sniveling letter about how miserable you are," her father said as he pushed his chair back from the table. Glinda didn't have the heart to look at him as he stomped away.

Her mother saw tears in her eyes and offered her a handkerchief to wipe her face. "Galinda you must understand. We just want you to be happy, and we were worried sick about you all term because your letters made you sound miserable. If you really have had a change of heart, then we are happy for you. I'm excited to receive correspondence from my happy, healthy daughter next term." Glinda had pressed the handkerchief against her eyes in an attempt to release some of the tension in her head. "I apologize for the way I spoke about your roommate. Your father and I are making judgments based on what we have heard of her and her family in our social circles. Who knows, maybe the two of you will become friends."

Glinda smiled for the first time since she got home. "The crazy thing is, I think we're already friends. It happened by accident, but she has been nothing but kind and considerate to me. It is just time for me to return the favor. I started by buying her a Lurlinemas gift, a small light that she can use if she wants to stay up late studying or reading. We also shrank down furniture from the common room at the end of our hallway and snuck it into our room to decide on a comfortable piece of furniture for our room!"

Glinda's mother looked surprised. "A shrinking spell is pretty advanced, I'm impressed that you were able to do it. Did you have any trouble returning them to their original size?"

"Actually, Elphaba did it." Glinda said with a shrug. "She's a witch, although she wasn't ever formally trained to use her powers. Her father didn't allow her to practice at home so she doesn't really use it." Her mother's mouth fell open. She listened to Glinda talk more about the things she had learned about her roommate through the rest of dinner and sent her daughter up to bed.

T

"Are you absolutely sure my love?" Glinda's father asked his wife as they were sitting in her parlor enjoying a nightcap.

"I'm positive dear," the regal woman said. "The way she babbles on about this girl is all I really needed to hear to be sure. You remember with some of her correspondence how I mentioned that this might be a possibility. Now that I've heard the same stories about her four times over I'm even more certain than before. Our daughter is confused about her feelings because she has a crush on Miss Elphaba."

The man dropped his head and sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing his temples. The couple had assumed that their daughter was attracted to women since she was a child, based on the way she handled herself around the different sexes. With boys she was able to be headstrong and outspoken, but when faced with a strong or intelligent girl she backed down quickly. They weren't sure if their daughter realized it or not, but every time she had given up on a passion or activity, it was because she was suddenly more focused on the girls around her than the task at hand. "How do you see this playing out? Like it did in her dance studio where she gave up months and months of hard work because she didn't know how to cope with her feelings? Or like art class where the girl she envied was suddenly too good for her and she was heartbroken? How are we going to get her through this if we aren't there?"

"What if Miss Elphaba feels the same way towards our daughter?" The woman suggested. "It certainly seems like a strong possibility, the way our girl describes her. Maybe they're both oblivious to their feelings."

"I can hardly picture the governor of Munchkinland in a love affair with someone of the same gender," the man huffed.

"You could hardly picture a female governor of Munchkinland until it was announced that the Heir Apparent was confirmed to be a female. You also couldn't picture that female being green until your daughter wrote back that she was sharing a bedroom with her."

"Even so, you say this girl is a powerful witch. Galinda told us herself that she was effortlessly shrinking and enlarging furniture. She always reaches her breaking point when the girl she's got her eye on exceeds her abilities. What will we do if she gives up on sorcery? On completing her education at Shiz?" Glinda's father was resting his elbows on a desk with his chin resting in his hands. "The last time I was this worried about her future was when she decided to come a month earlier than expected. Back then she fit in our hands and we could protect her from the world. We can't protect her from this, my love."

His wife moved her seat directly in front of her love, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "I know it is difficult to let her navigate this on her own. But I do not see this ending poorly for them. Elphaba has been building our daughter up all term, and has not let her down once. Galinda doesn't even realize the things the girl has done to make her more comfortable. Honestly I'm not sure if Miss Elphaba realizes it either."

"I'm betting she brings her home for the summer and we watch them develop feelings for one another right before our very eyes." Glinda's father was grinning, pulling money out of his wallet and putting it on the desk before his wife. The woman's eyes twinkled as she retrieved double that amount of money from a drawer in her desk.

"I'm betting she sends us a letter before the middle of the term telling us that they've already developed feelings for one another."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains brief mention of sexual assault. Nothing graphic or detailed, just a confession that it happened.

Glinda returned from her holiday break with more nerves than she had than when she first arrived at Shiz. She had spent the last few days at home with her parents helping her develop a plan to get school work done but also set aside time to have fun with her friends. In an attempt to distract herself on the train ride back to school, she made a mental list of the holiday gifts she had received. Most of her Lurlinemas gifts were practical ones that she got every year, like new clothes and fresh notebooks with new pens. Her father made sure to give her a nice sketchbook to bring back to school with her, knowing that drawing was still a creative outlet for her.

A week before she returned to Shiz, her parents took her to a furniture store to select a chair for her dorm room. She went back and forth between a few styles, but finally selected a large chair that felt like the couches at her house. The seat was large enough for two people to comfortably sit, or for one person to curl up with their legs and feet inside the chair. It was black and covered with soft velvet, so their next stop was to another store to pick out throw blankets and a pillow for it. She had planned to buy these things herself with money she had saved from past holidays and birthdays, but her parents considered it an investment in her education so they paid for it as a gift and had it sent directly to their room.

She started thinking about Elphaba, hoping that she had gotten the notice about the chair arriving. She knew the green girl would most likely be in the room and able to receive it, but she didn't want an unexpected knock to startle the girl. She wondered if Elphaba had missed her at all over the last three weeks. Glinda had been thinking about ways that they could become better friends, but was struggling to think of things they would both enjoy. They had really mostly bonded over studying and doing homework, which wasn't exactly fun for Glinda.

The blonde worried about her new classes and the amount of work and projects she expected to have. Her parents had warned her that each term would get progressively more difficult, and the thought of almost failing classes again made her feel sick to her stomach. This made her realize that her head was beginning to hurt, so she leaned her forehead against the icy train window and closed her eyes.

When she arrived at Shiz, she grabbed her bags and chose to walk back to her dormitory rather than wait in line for a cab. She was almost halfway there when she heard a familiar voice shouting to her. "Glinda! Hey, Glinda! Over here!"

It was Fiyero, the Winkie Prince who had stirred things up with his arrival last term. She grimaced and tried to ignore him, but suddenly his carriage was blocking her path. His driver stepped out and Fiyero shouted from the window. "Hop in; I think we're going in the same direction!"

Glinda tried to refuse, but his driver was already loading her bags into the carriage. She asked for him to give them back, explaining that she would rather walk. The man seemed to ignore her as he secured her bags and offered his hand for her to step up into the carriage. She reluctantly took a seat across from the boy as they began to move. "If I wanted a ride to campus I would have gotten a cab myself. I was happy to walk."

"I know, but then I wouldn't get the chance to have you to myself for a few minutes. Besides, why wait around for a cab when you know someone with a personal driver!" The boy stood up and took a seat beside the blonde instead. "I've been thinking that we should try this again, you and me. We both come from powerful families and we're two of the most beautiful people here at Shiz. Just think, your parents would be delighted if you brought me home. I bet they wish you would have brought me home for Lurlinemas." The boy had put his hand on Glinda's knee, and Glinda reached down to remove it. Fiyero continued to talk about himself as the carriage came to a stop outside her dormitory. She got her bags and turned to thank his driver for the ride and was shocked when Fiyero grabbed her face and kissed her. She pulled away and took a few steps back, only for him to grab her arm and pull her back to kiss her again.

T

Elphaba had been hard at work installing the new curtains she had purchased for her dorm room all morning. She was surprised at how much work it had been, but she finally had a set of black curtains keeping light from entering their room instead of a blanket. She had pulled the blinds up earlier that day, and she could see out the window and watch students exit their carriages as they returned from the holiday.

She had just finished securing the curtain rod to the wall and was pulling the curtains open and shut again when she saw Glinda exit a carriage with Figaro. She was a little surprised when she saw them kiss, and was turning away when she saw Glinda back away from the boy, only for him to forcefully pull her back. She went outside and stood near the door to her building. "Stop that!"

The girl's powerful voice shocked both Glinda and Figaro. Glinda tried to step away again but Fiyero kept a strong grasp on her arm. "What's wrong green girl, you didn't know that your roommate and I are courting?"

"We most certainly are not!" Glinda shrieked. Fiyero's eyes narrowed. She kept trying to pull her arm away but the boy only strengthened his grip.

"Let her go," Elphaba was seething. "Before I report you for assault."

Fiyero rolled his eyes and released the girl's arm. Glinda gathered her bags and rushed over to her roommate. They turned to go inside when they heard Fiyero call out. "Glinda my dear, I know you will come to your senses. Like I said earlier, we're perfect together." Glinda opened her mouth to respond but no words came out. Elphaba gently pushed her inside the door to the building and then unlocked their bedroom for her.

Once they were inside Glinda collapsed into Elphaba and sobbed. Elphaba wasn't sure what to do, so she settled for patting the blonde's back and swaying back and forth. When the sting of Glinda's tears on her chest became unbearable she walked them over to their new chair and helped the blonde sit down. She excused herself to the bathroom where she applied a thin layer of aloe gel to protect her skin and covered her chest with a small towel beneath her dress to serve as a barrier. She brought the aloe gel along with a bottle of peppermint scented oil and another small towel back to the chair with her.

Elphaba approached the crying girl and watched as she pressed her fingers into her eyes. She kneeled in front of the blonde and put her things on the desk beside the chair, reaching both hands up to hold Glinda's and pull them away from her face. She held eye contact with Glinda for a few long moments, waiting for her breathing to slow. "Is your head hurting?" Glinda squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. Elphaba stood up and pulled the blinds down in the window, pulling the curtains together and using a clip in the middle to keep them together. She used magic to light a candle on her desk to provide some light. She returned to her previous position on the floor and held up the bottle of peppermint oil. "When I have a headache I rub this on my temples and it helps to dull the pain. Would you like to try it?"

Glinda nodded, but made no move to take the bottle so Elphaba opened it and placed her thumb over the bottle opening, turning it upside down and letting the oil coat the pad of her thumb. She carefully flipped the bottle back up and placed it on the desk, rubbing her thumbs together briefly before brushing back loose curls with her fingers. Her thumbs found Glinda's temples and she made slow, gentle circular motions with them for almost a minute, watching as her roommate shut her eyes and slowed her breathing back to normal.

Elphaba screwed the lid back onto her oil bottle and wiped her thumbs clean on the cloth. She took a deep breath before holding Glinda's hands again. "We have to report this. He can't get away with doing that to you."

Glinda nodded and looked at the time. She rose to her feet and Elphaba stood up along with her. She wrapped her arms around her roommate and rested her head on her shoulder. "Help me unpack one of my bags and walk me to the infirmary?"

"Infirmary?" Elphie exclaimed, stepping back from the blonde's hug. "Did he hurt you?" Glinda lifted her sleeve to show a bruise where the boy's grip had held her still. Elphaba grimaced and nodded, "Let's do that. We can unpack your bag, walk to the infirmary to have them look at your arm, and then go to the police station to report that bastard."

Glinda shook her head, "I would rather just report him at the infirmary. If they think it is serious the head nurse will report him on my behalf." She kicked her smaller bag across the room as she bent to open her largest bag.

Elphaba reached into the bag and took Glinda's toiletries and bath towel to the bathroom to put them away. She walked back out as Glinda was putting two new blankets and a squishy pillow on the new chair. She bent down to get a stack of new notebooks from the bag and placed them on the desk and waited while Glinda put away her clothes. She closed the bag and used her foot to push it beneath her bed and when she stood up Elphaba was waiting with open arms.

Glinda gladly put her cheek on her roommate's chest and wrapped her arms around the skinny girl. She felt Elphaba's cheek rest on the top of her head as one hand came to rest on her blonde hair and the other rubbed circles on her back. They just stood there taking deep breaths until Glinda turned her head slightly to speak. "Are we friends Elphie?"

Elphaba chuckled and she felt Glinda's smile against her chest. She squeezed the girl for a second and then relaxed again. "I was actually thinking about that while you were away. If we aren't already, I would like to be. What do you think?"

"I think we already are," the blonde wiggled her shoulders to signal to Elphaba that she wanted to be released. "You're the only friend I have right now."

"You're the only friend I've ever had." Elphaba said with a smile. "Now let's get you to the infirmary. Maybe afterward we can pick up dinner and eat in the room." Glinda nodded and grabbed her handbag, confused when she saw Elphie pull a towel out of the top of her dress as she blew out the candle.

T

At the infirmary, a receptionist brought the girls to an examination room and had Glinda fill out a form on why she was here. Elphaba watched as the girl wrote down her account of what had occurred and listed the affected area as her upper arm. The receptionist looked it over and nodded, letting them know that she would send the head nurse in to speak with her.

"Elphie will you stay with me please?" Glinda was looking at her hands in her lap instead of up at her roommate.

"Of course I will, as long as Nurse lets me. Are you nervous?"

Before Glinda could answer, there were two quick knocks and the door opened. "Alright dearie, let's take a look at that arm." Nurse didn't bother with any small talk; she only reached out to accept the arm Glinda offered. Glinda felt around with her free hand on the exam table, finding Elphie's and squeezing it. Elphaba knew that her roommate was afraid, and she felt tears come to her eyes as she intertwined their fingers. Nurse moved her fingertips around the bruise, apologizing when Glinda winced. She looked up at Elphaba. "Did you witness this altercation Miss Thropp?"

Elphie nodded. "I saw them exit his carriage through the window in our dorm room, and when she pushed away from him and he pulled her back I knew something was wrong so I went outside to put an end to it."

Nurse looked to Glinda, who nodded. Nurse dug through a file cabinet for a moment and removed a form with the words 'Witness Statement' at the top. She secured the paper to a clipboard and handed it to Elphaba along with a pen. "Fill this out so I can file a report. Miss Upland I'm going to need a photograph of that arm. Come, I'll have the receptionist take you while I prepare a pain relieving cream." Glinda felt Elphie squeeze her hand and let go, letting Nurse guide her to the door.

Elphaba quickly filled out the form and watched the nurse preparing the topical pain reliever. When the nurse finished up she looked Elphie over. "You had no physical contact with him?"

"No Ma'am, I didn't. When he released her arm she walked over to me." Nurse stood up and approached the green girl, which made her back up. "What are you doing?"

"My dear, you've got marks on your face and your chest. If he hurt you as well then we need it in the report." Nurse looked concerned for her, and Elphie looked down to survey her chest. She put her head in her hands, trying to think of the right thing to say.

"Nurse, these are actually the result of Miss Glinda's tears." She pulled the dress away from her chest and examined her burns. "And also mine." She saw the disbelief on Nurse's face and steeled herself to explain further. "I seem to have an allergy to water. Rain, tears, even my own sweat leaves burns if it stays on my skin for long enough. I'm not sure what causes it, but I have always assumed that my skin color has something to do with it. If you have any water I can prove it if you need me to."

Nurse shook her head vigorously, "No dear, of course not! The receptionist told me that you had marks on your face when you walked in but I can tell that some of these are fresh. Is it okay if I add that to your medical file? I wouldn't want you to be brought in for an emergency and have something so simple harm you." Elphie nodded and reached her hand up to feel her face. She saw Nurse make a note on an adhesive pad like the ones Glinda used and spelled her name when asked. "Now, I know watching your roommate go through something like this again can take its toll on you as well. Would you like for me to get you a sleep aid for tonight?"

Elphaba's heart started to race. _Again?_ Before she could form words, the door opened and Glinda walked back in. Elphie could see distinct fingerprints on Glinda's eyebrows where she had been pressing on her forehead again. "I think I will be fine, but she has had a terrible headache since all of this started. We massaged peppermint oil into her temples, but it doesn't seem to be working. Do you think you could give her an oral analgesic for tonight as well?" Glinda glared at her and she chose to ignore it. Nurse nodded and opened a locked cabinet, taking out a few different pills.

"Alright Miss Galinda, this is your topical pain relief. You or your roommate can apply it twice a day as needed if it is giving you trouble. It is going to feel hot on your skin at first, but then it will have a cooling effect and will help to ease your pain. These two white caplets are for your headache, take them with plenty of water. The blue softgels are sleep aids, one for each of you. I strongly suggest you take one as well Miss Elphaba, I know this incident wasn't as bad as the last one, but it can still take its toll on you too." Elphie felt Glinda stiffen beside her. The blonde reached down and searched for Elphaba's hand, squeezing it tightly when she found it. Elphie took the items that Nurse offered to them and the girls stood to leave. "If the police want any more information I will call you both back here instead of having you go to the police station, alright?" The girls both nodded and Nurse opened the door for them, calling the receptionist to walk them out.

Their walk to the cafeteria was silent. Elphie put the medications in Glinda's bag and held the door for her roommate to enter first. They each chose a sandwich and some fresh fruit and took them out in boxes designed to be eaten from elsewhere and returned to the dining hall to be washed. Elphaba held their food while Glinda poured herself a glass of water and Elphaba a glass of milk. On their way back through the cafeteria Elphie stopped to balance two chocolate chip cookies on top of the boxes she was holding.

Back in their room, Glinda went to the bathroom while Elphaba pulled her desk chair to Glinda's desk and opened their food containers. She took her seat and waited for Glinda to join her. The blonde sat down in her desk chair and put her forehead on her desk in defeat. "Can we wait until after dinner for me to explain what Nurse brought up?"

Elphie picked up a grape from her food box and spun it around in her fingers. "You don't have to explain anything that you don't want to, Glinda. We can just go to bed after we eat if you want." Glinda had taken a bite of her sandwich, but she shook her head no. "Then you can explain whenever you want. But please do not feel obligated to tell me anything."

The girls ate in silence, and then Glinda excused herself to take a bath and change her clothes. Elphaba used this time to quickly clean herself with the peppermint oil and cloth that had been pushed to the back of the desk while they ate, and she reapplied the aloe gel to her chest. She opened a cabinet on Glinda's desk where she knew the girl had put a mirror and carefully rubbed some aloe gel onto the tear tracks on her face. The green girl put on her nightclothes and took out the things prescribed by the infirmary to put them on the edge of Glinda's desk. She moved their drinks within reach and took a seat on the chair Glinda had bought for them.

Glinda emerged from the bathroom with her hair expertly wrapped in a towel and fresh nightclothes on. She moved a candle from Elphie's desk to hers and pulled the comforter off of her bed, dragging it to the cozy chair and plopping down. She sat as far away from Elphie as she could, but made sure that the blanket draped over both of them. The blonde opened the analgesic caplets and placed them on her tongue, taking a few sips of water to wash them down. She opened her sleep aid but didn't remove it from its package, leaving it perched at the edge of the desk. She unscrewed the cream that Nurse had mixed for her and scooped some out with her fingers, carefully applying it to the dark bruise that circled her upper arm. She flipped her hair down and rubbed her head with the towel for a while before letting the towel fall to the floor. She kept her head down between her knees so Elphaba took a moment to get up and light the candle, leaning over the desk to turn the lamp off.

She returned to her spot and pulled one of the blankets Glinda had bought over her shoulders before replacing the pink comforter on her lap. She watched as Glinda sat up with tears in her eyes and reached for the sleeping pill. She put it in her mouth and finished her glass of water, sliding the empty cup across her desk. "I lied to Nurse the last time I was there. I told her that I confessed to you what happened and that you were supporting me at home so I wouldn't have to go to counseling." Elphaba was trying to process what she was being told, but it already sounded worse than she expected. "I'm going to tell you what happened, but please don't ask me any questions. I don't want to talk about it. I can't talk about it. I want to tell you and cry and go to sleep. Okay?"

Glinda already had tears pouring from her eyes, but her voice remained steady. Elphaba nodded, a whole new level of concern settling in. "Last term, right before midterm exams started, I went to a party at a house off campus. I had been going to parties with my friends every Saturday night for a couple of months, but this time I was drinking. Fiyero always hit on me and I always turned him down, but I was tipsy and he kept bringing me drinks. Once he knew I was drunk he convinced me to go into a bedroom with him to play a card game. I knew he was up to something when he asked me to take my shirt off, so he just gave up on making it into anything fun and pushed me onto the bed. He got me drunk and he raped me. The next day he tried to convince me that I wanted it, but I know I didn't and he hurt me. I went to the infirmary when we all returned to campus on Sunday and spent the day there with Nurse doing an exam and trying to collect evidence. She reported it for me, but Fiyero swore up and down that I gave my consent and they took his word over mine."

Glinda stopped talking and held her face in her hands, letting sobs overtake her. Elphie wasn't sure what to do until Glinda scooted closer to her and buried her face in the green girl's neck. Elphie quickly pulled the blanket up to protect her skin and wrapped both arms protectively around her roommate, too stunned to speak. Glinda's sobs eventually turned into sniffles, and she looked up at Elphaba with bleary eyes. "Would you kiss me?"

Elphaba's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Glinda sat up more and Elphie could tell that the sleeping pill was starting to take effect. "Kiss me. He kissed me today and I hate that." Glinda's tears started to fall freely again. "He took my virginity. He took my first kiss. I want you to kiss me. To make his kiss go away. Please?"

Elphaba sighed and stood up, offering her hands to Glinda. The blonde accepted the help and stood up, puckering her lips. Elphaba lowered her head and let her roommate kiss her cheek. The girl huffed and Elphaba wrapped her in a hug. "No, I will not kiss you. You have been through a lot today, and you are under the influence of a sleeping pill." She could feel the blonde's brows furrow against her shoulder. "Let's go brush your teeth and get you to bed. We'll erase him that way." She didn't give Glinda the option to refuse and walked the girl to the bathroom. She left the light off and found Glinda's toothbrush and her own toothpaste powder that didn't require any water. She poured some on the pink toothbrush and handed it to the blonde before doing the same with her own. The girls brushed their teeth together and headed back out into their room.

Elphaba tried to lead Glinda to her bed, but the blonde protested. "Sit with me a while longer? Please Elphie?" Elphaba didn't want to fight with the girl so they got comfortable in their chair. Elphaba sat down normally and Glinda sat beside her, leaning her head on a green shoulder and forcing Elphie to put her arm around her to be comfortable. Glinda fussed with the blankets for a few minutes and then slowly started to drift off into sleep. Elphie kept her arm around the blonde, using her free hand to hold an edge of Glinda's comforter up to absorb her tears before they could fall down her face. She opened her own sleeping pill and swallowed it with a few uncomfortable gulps, then used magic to create an ottoman for her feet. She blew out the candle on the desk beside her and placed a soft kiss on Glinda's temple. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone, my sweet Glinda. I'm so sorry."


	7. Chapter 7

Early the next morning Glinda woke up from a bad dream, confused that she was not in her bed. She struggled to sit up, still in a sleepy fog. Her movements woke Elphie up, and when the green girl rose from the chair Glinda latched onto her hand. "Don't leave." Her voice sounded small, almost like a child.   
  
Elphie shook her hand to release it from its restraint, "I'll be back, I have to pee." Elphaba was typically happy in the morning, but it was too early and she had never before taken a sleep aid. When she returned Glinda was sitting on the ottoman she had created and gave Elphie specific instructions to sit back down. Elphie suggested that they sleep in their own beds but Glinda pleaded for them to stay where they were before.   
  
Glinda stood up and let the green girl sit down and pushed the ottoman up so it touched the chair. Elphaba sat down on her side of the chair, stretching her legs across the ottoman and resting her arm on the chair's arm. Glinda piled her comforter in the empty space beside Elphie, making sure the pillow was resting close enough that they could grab it if needed. Elphie's head felt like it weighed a ton, and she closed her eyes and leaned her head back onto the back of the chair. She let out a small "oof" when Glinda sat across her lap. She had her back against Elphie's arm and the arm of the char, and she propped her feet up on the other arm of the chair. She sat up and yawned as she pulled the blankets over them. She snuggled her face into Elphaba's chest and pushed her arm between her roommate's back and the back of the chair. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done today without you." Glinda waited for a response and realized that she wasn't getting any Elphaba had already fallen asleep again.   
  
T  
  
That configuration on the chair became the default snuggle position for the girls. They didn't do it often, but when one of the girls wasn't feeling well or simply needed extra comforting they would sit in the chair and reconnect.   
  
The first time they had revisited that position was exactly a week later, when Fiyero was arrested for assault. The girls were happy to know that he was facing the consequences of his actions. Only three days later they found themselves cuddling again, this time devastated. Fiyero had quickly received money from his family to pay to be released, and now Glinda had to see him every other day in class.

Eventually their lives adjusted back to a new type of normal. Glinda didn’t want anything to do with her group of friends because they welcomed Fiyero back with open arms, even after knowing that he had harmed her and kissed her against her will. Elphaba stuck by her side, always there when she needed something. They worked on homework together every night, and Elphaba was slowly helping Glinda figure out how to manage her time so that they could have most of their weekends free of school work. They had chosen to be in the same history class, so whenever there was work assigned for it they always did it last so they could work together.

Glinda was relieved that they still wrote notes to one another on the back of their door, even though they talked every day. She was particularly fond of leaving Elphie notes to find in her textbooks to surprise her, and she gave Elphie a pack of lime green sticky notes that had come with her own pink ones in hopes of receiving the same surprise notes.

They got through their midterm exams with very little stress, and at the end of the next week was Glinda’s birthday. Elphie desperately wanted to surprise her roommate, so along with holding Glinda accountable for getting her homework done so they could have a fun birthday weekend she was also sneaking off campus to a few specialty shops to find the perfect gifts for her favorite girl.

When the weekend finally came, Elphaba had ordered food to be delivered but strategically forgot to order anything to drink. When the food arrived, she asked Glinda to please run to the dining hall and get some drinks to bring back to the room. She rarely sent Glinda out to do things on her own because Fiyero always seemed to be wherever Glinda was, so Elphaba had already enlisted the help of one of the girls in their history class to bump into the blonde and chat with her while they walked to the dining hall.

As soon as Glinda left the room, Elphaba got to work setting up her birthday surprise. She pulled out her basket of dirty clothes and reached underneath her bed for her birthday gifts for Glinda. First was an incredibly soft blanket, pink of course, that had Glinda’s name embroidered across it with white thread and a heart dotting the letter ‘I’ in her name. She had it done because that was how the blonde signed her name on the notes that were often left adhered to the pages of her textbooks. She unfolded it and carefully spread it out on the floor for them to have a picnic on.

Next was a special lampshade that was made to cover the single bulb lamps that were provided in their dorm room. It appeared to be normal in the daylight, but when the lamp turned on it revealed a beautiful scattering of stars scattered across the walls and ceiling of the room. Glinda had talked about how one thing that she missed the most about her home was that she could see the stars from her window at night. Shiz was in a highly populated area, so the light pollution around them had disappointed her when she looked at the night sky. Elphie turned off the other lamps and spun the lampshade to get the stars aligned just right.

Finally, worried that she was running out of time, she pulled a small wooden desk that had been stained with a subtle glitter finish. Placing it on the floor it only came up about a foot high, and it was barely large enough to fit their dinner plates. Elphaba had purchased this as a Lurlinemas gift for Glinda, but forgot about it after the ordeal with Fiyero. Since she rarely saw Glinda study at her desk she had a lap desk custom made for the girl. It featured a tiny lip across the bottom so things wouldn’t slide off if she put her knees up and lifted the legs off the floor. It also had a drawer that could pull out of one side that was designed to hold writing instruments. Elphie finished setting up their food and hurried to her desk to write a note for Glinda, hiding it in the little drawer.

T

Glinda stood in front of her dorm room door with her back to it, finishing up a conversation with a girl from class that she ran into while she was getting their drinks. She had left the door cracked when she left, so once she told the girl goodbye she kept her back to the door and used her foot to nudge it open. “Elphie, you won’t believe who I – oh my…” Glinda had taken a few steps backwards to clear the doorway and had just pushed the door shut with her toe when she noticed the stars projected on the wall. She turned around and her jaw dropped at the beautiful picnic setup that Elphie had put together while she was gone. Elphie was standing beside her desk with open arms, waiting for a hug. Glinda put their drinks down on the desk and melted into her roommate’s embrace. “That ‘Oh no I forgot to order drinks’ thing was a trick, wasn’t it?” Elphaba squeezed her tight and bounced lightly on her toes, making Glinda giggle.

The girls sat on the floor and ate their dinner together, sharing stories about past birthday celebrations they had. Once they finished dinner they moved to the chair to share a giant chocolate chip cookie together. They started talking about finishing the spring term and Glinda interrupted Elphie talking about the final project she would do in her chemistry lab. “Elphie, what are you going to do over the summer?” The blonde shot up from her seat and went to look for a calendar. “We’re supposed to move out of here in 2 months! Where are you going to live?”

Elphie outstretched her hand with a smirk, asking Glinda to hand her the calendar. She flipped to the month that they were supposed to move out and pointed to the writing on the date they were set to move out. “I wrote it right here. I’m moving out of this room and into a room in the upperclassman building in the summer. They are letting me occupy a private room over the summer but since I’m not taking any classes I won’t have access to the dining hall, but I can just get food off campus and bring it back here like I did at the holidays.”

Glinda frowned, plopping back down next to Elphie with a huff. “Would you consider staying at my house instead?” Elphie immediately started to say no but Glinda put a finger up to her green lips. Uncomfortable, Elphaba stood up and started to clean up their room. “Wait. Hear me out. You would have your own room, right next door to mine. My parents both work during the day and the household staff is limited to a cook, gardener, and driver so Cook is the only other person in the house. We have swimming pool, a greenhouse, and a grand ballroom with a piano. Elphie we have an entire library for you to browse! We can go swimming and eat fresh strawberries and nectarines and I can teach you to dance and you can read a new book every day. Oh Elphie please?!” Elphaba had just picked out a book to read and sat down on her bed. She had chuckled at something Glinda said, and by now was cackling. Glinda folded her arms across her chest and pouted. “What’s so funny?”

Elphaba was laughing so hard she was crying, and she used the sleeve of her dress to dry her tears. “You know, you almost had me convinced before you threatened to kill me.”

Glinda looked confused and went back through what she said. “Oh Elphie! Of course you won’t go swimming, but you can sit outside with me at a safe distance and we can still talk! I just got so caught up in all of the great things about spending a summer with me.” Elphie opened her book and got comfortable in her bed to read, infuriating the blonde. Glinda got on her knees beside the bed and Elphie held the book up in front of her face. Glinda snatched the book from Elphie’s hands to reveal that she was still laughing.

Glinda put her elbows on her roommate’s bed, making a ‘V’ with her hands and resting her chin in them. She sighed dramatically, waiting for Elphie’s giggles to abate. Elphaba collected herself and scooted forward on her bed, leaning up on her elbows to be at eye level with Glinda and coming so close that their noses almost touched. Suddenly Glinda’s cheeks flushed pink and she held her breath as she considered kissing her best friend. “I would love to stay with you over the summer. Now get off of my bed!” Elphie playfully put a finger on Glinda’s forehead and pushed her backwards.

The blonde grinned and skipped into the bathroom to change clothes. When she came back out she announced to Elphaba that she would write a letter to her mother tonight informing her of their plans. Elphie quickly changed in the bathroom and got comfortable in her bed to read again. Glinda took a lined notebook off of her desk and bounced up onto her bed, lifting her new lap desk from the floor and finding a comfortable way to sit and write on it. She remembered that Elphie had mentioned that there were pens in the drawer, so she examined the side and found the latch for it. Inside the drawer there were a few glitter ink pens and a green sticky note.

> _Happy Birthday Glinda_
> 
> _I love you_

The last line was punctuated with a tiny heart. Glinda inhaled sharply, glancing up at the green girl who was trying to hide her blush. Glinda smiled and chose a dark blue pen, reading the note at least 10 times in her head before finally shutting the drawer.

> _Momsie,_
> 
> _I need to confess some things to you that I have been too afraid to talk to anyone other than Elphaba about. Please don't discuss this with Popsicle; I am dreadfully afraid of what he will think or do. I promise I will find a way to tell him soon._

  
She recounted all of the events that had happened with Fiyero. She detailed the steps that she had gone through to report him both times, including how much of a help and support her roommate was through the process. She explained his arrest and subsequent release and how she felt about it.

> _That is the end of what I needed to tell you and not Daddy, the next page is one that you can both read together. I know how he hates to be left out of things._

Glinda smiled to herself and turned to a new page. She opened the drawer to switch to the pink pen and grinned when she saw Elphaba’s note again. She carefully wrote the date in the corner of the page, as she always did when she wrote to her parents.

> _Dearest Darlingest Momsie and Popsicle,_
> 
> _I survived spring midterm exams, and I only have one B right now! Right now that class average is an 89.2, so that is close enough for celebration!_
> 
> _Tonight Elphie surprised me with the most magical birthday I have ever had. She ordered dinner in from a fancy restaurant off campus and we had our own little picnic under the stars in our dorm room. Earlier this week we filled out our housing application forms together so we can continue to share a room next school year. You will be pleased to know that we submitted them two whole weeks before they were due, so we hope to get a room intended for two occupants this time around._
> 
> _I distinctly recall during our argument over winter break you wishing that I had brought Miss Elphaba home to meet you then, so I have invited her to stay for the summer._
> 
> _I feel like you should know before we arrive that I’m afraid that I have started to develop romantic feelings for her._
> 
> _And by that I mean I almost kissed her tonight._
> 
> _She wrote me a note that says “I love you”, and I’m sure you know how happy that made me._
> 
> _Please don’t do anything embarrassing when we arrive._
> 
> _With all my love,_
> 
> _Galinda_

  
She neatly folded the letter and got up to find an envelope to put it in. She didn't have one in her desk, so she asked Elphaba if she could steal one from her. When she didn't receive a response, she turned to look at her roommate and found her asleep with her hand holding her head and her glasses halfway down her nose. Glinda took a stray scrap of paper out of her desk and drew a heart on it then walked over and carefully marked the page her roommate was reading before closing the book. She placed it carefully on Elphie's nightstand and then gently removed the green girl's glasses. She folded the arms in and put them at the base of the lamp on Elphie’s bedside table where she typically kept them and then draped Elphaba's blanket from their chair over her. Glinda smiled and let out a contented sigh before bending down to kiss her roommate's forehead. "I love you too Elphie."

T

Glinda’s father stopped in his office on his way to bed and shuffled through the mail that had been placed on the desk. He smiled and called out to his wife that Glinda had written to them again. He started to open the letter but stopped when he realized that it was addressed to only his wife and not to both of them. He furrowed his brow and passed the envelope to his wife, “It is only addressed to you, she’s leaving me out of the fun.”

The blonde’s mother thought that was strange and opened the envelope. She read the first few words of the first letter and folded them back up, suggesting that her husband go take a bath so she could read the correspondence. He put on a playful pout and sulked out of the room, leaving his wife to read the heartbreaking letter. She cried for a few minutes and folded the letter up, going to her parlor to put it away in her desk drawer.

She waited for her husband in their bedroom, making sure to collect herself before he emerged from the shower. They sat together in their bed and read the letter their daughter had written to both of them, smiling at the retelling of the birthday surprise and laughing at their daughter’s blunt admission of her attraction to her roommate.

“I think that means I won the bet,” her mother chuckled.

Her father sat up straight in bed, pulling the letter out of her hands. “Actually, I believe you have officially lost the bet. You said she would write us a letter before midterms, and it clearly states at the beginning of the letter that she has survived midterm exams.” He folded the letter neatly and placed it on his bedside table. “I will be sure to collect my earnings tomorrow morning.”


	8. Chapter 8

"I can't believe we finished the year with all A's! I'm willing to bet that we had the highest grades of the entire incoming class!"  
  
Elphie chuckled, "Judging by some of the students who lived in our building, I'm willing to bet that we're among only a handful that even passed."  
  
They had finished the train ride to Frottica and we're currently sitting in a carriage with Glinda's driver on their way to her house. It was already dark out and they had eaten dinner together on the train. Elphaba could tell when they were close to the house because Glinda was bouncing like crazy and the driver was laughing merrily.

They arrived at the colossal house and Glinda’s driver helped them both down from the carriage and went to get their bags. Glinda’s parents were waiting on the front steps, waving and yelling like crazy. Glinda rolled her eyes as she ran up to them, dragging Elphie behind her. They all went inside and the driver brought the girls’ bags upstairs. Glinda introduced Elphaba to everyone and her parents sent them both upstairs to bed so they could get a good night’s sleep.

Elphie’s room was right next door to Glinda’s, but since it was such an unfamiliar environment she had trouble sleeping. She spent most of the night sitting up in her bed reading, hoping that she would feel more comfortable soon.

Three days into their summer Glinda got caught up in painting something and didn’t get ready to go to bed until almost midnight. She didn’t want to get paint on her bathroom sink, so she tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen to wash her brushes and lay them on the countertop to dry. As she ascended the stairs she saw that Elphie’s room had a light on, and she was afraid that her friend had fallen asleep while reading again. She gently pushed the door open, shocked to find the green girl still awake.

Glinda got Elphie’s attention and leaned onto the other girl’s bed, asking why she was still awake. She was devastated to hear the Elphie hadn’t slept at all since they arrived. She announced that she had an idea and skipped down the hall to her own room. Elphaba expected her to come back with a sleeping aid, but instead she came back wearing a nightdress and carrying a pillow. She assured Elphie that her parents wouldn’t mind if they had a sleepover and promised to stay on her own side of the queen sized bed. Elphie turned out the lights but grew increasingly frustrated when she still couldn’t get comfortable and sleep. After a few minutes Glinda gave up on her promise and scooted up next to the green girl, both of them on their backs and holding hands. Glinda was starting to doze off but woke up when she felt Elphie shift positions so she was laying on her side facing away from the blonde. She turned onto her side as well, sliding one arm beneath Elphaba’s pillow and bringing the other to rest on her stomach. Elphaba wanted to protest but she didn’t want to wake Glinda, and the comfort of having her best friend slow close eventually allowed her to relax and fall asleep.

T

The girls spent their days doing everything Glinda promised they would. They went to the greenhouse to pick fresh strawberries for a snack almost every day. Glinda went swimming at least once a week, and Elphie was thankful she had a good reason to keep her distance from the pool. She always brought a book with her but rarely paid any attention to the words on the page. Glinda’s favorite swimsuit was a pink bikini, and Elphaba was astonished that the girl was comfortable going outside in clothing that so closely resembled underwear.

As often as they could, they ended their night in the ballroom together. Glinda had taken piano lessons as a child but had retained nothing, so the girls found her old piano books and started learning how to play together. When they got tired they would dance around together, Glinda often encouraging Elphie to pretend that she was a princess in the grand finale of a fairytale.

One thing that happened every day without fail was that the girls had breakfast together. On rainy days they would sit on barstools in the kitchen and talk about their nights, but when the weather was nice they always ate on the terrace. It had become so expected that Glinda’s parents would finish their breakfast in the kitchen and bring their placemats and a set of silverware outside so the girls had one less thing to carry.  
  


They were only one month away from going back to school when a stack of mail arrived for the girls. The mail was always brought directly to Glinda’s father’s office, and by the time he sat down to look through it one night the girls had already gone to bed. He brought them to the kitchen so he wouldn’t forget them, and he left them with the placemats that he brought out for the girls the next morning before he got ready for work.  
  
When the girls carried their breakfast plates out they were surprised to see a set of four envelopes from Shiz waiting for them, two addressed to Miss Galinda Upland and two for Miss Elphaba Thropp. They each had an envelope from student housing, Elphie had one from the honors college, and Glinda had one from her advisor who helped her sign up for the proper courses. Glinda had gotten to the table first and bounced over to the terrace entrance with the letters, waving them in the green girl’s face. Elphaba laughed and set down their breakfast and joined the blonde in her bouncing for a brief moment.  
  
They both opened their housing envelopes first - Elphaba read hers out loud. "We are pleased to inform you that your housing request has been accepted and your roommate will be Miss Galinda Upland, sophomore student with a concentration in sorcery. You have been assigned to -" the girls held their letters out to compare them and then hugged, talking for a few minutes about the different ways that they could arrange their room when they arrived on campus.  
  
"Oh Elphie, open yours from the honors college! I'm just positive that you have been accepted!" The green girl smiled and carefully opened the envelope. She had applied to join the honors college the day before the official deadline, with Glinda having to drag her across campus to make actually submit it.  
  
"Miss Thropp, we have reviewed your application and are happy to accept you into the Honors College program on the campus of Shiz University." She could see Glinda clapping her hands and bouncing across from her. "While being an Honors Scholar comes with more expectations and responsibilities, it also gives you access to the newly constructed Honors Dormitory that is outfitted with its own exclusive library and large study spaces on each floor. There are both private and double rooms available for Honors students..." she trailed off slowly, continuing to read the letter.  
  
"Don't worry Elphie, remember you already spoke with your advisor and you don't have to live there if you're afraid. They will give you a key to access the study rooms and the library." Elphie nodded and picked Glinda's letter up off of the table, pushing it into her hands. The blonde took it and tucked it underneath her arm, hugging her best friend. "Elphie, this is a big deal. I'm so proud of you!”  
  
Elphie squeezed Glinda as tightly as she could, putting down her letter and gesturing to Glinda's. "Let's see what your advisor has to say!" Her voice was unusually cheerful.  
  
Glinda opened her envelope to find a handwritten letter from her advisor in front of a printed sheet from the University.  
  
"Miss Upland,  
  
This came across my desk for final approval today, and I wanted to be the first to tell you. On behalf of the entire department, we are proud of you." Glinda looked up at Elphie. "I've got no clue what this means." Elphaba was about to burst with excitement, knowing what the next letter was because it was mentioned in her own. She gestured with her hands that Glinda should keep reading.  
  
"Miss Upland, at the request of your advisors and after careful review of your academic progress over the last year, we are pleased to inform you that you have been formally invited to join the Honors College program on the campus of Shiz University!" Her words tumbled out faster and higher pitched as she finished the sentence. She looked at Elphie and threw her arms out to her sides, letting her letter fly out of her hand. "I'm an honors scholar! We're both honors scholars!" She was practically floating as Elphaba gathered her in a hug.  
  
The green girl held her tightly in a hug and then bent slightly to wrap her arms around Glinda's waist. She lifted her off of the ground and spun them around in a circle, marveling at the sight of Glinda with her head and arms thrown back in celebration, the summer sun making her curls shimmer.  
  
When Glinda felt unbalanced she straightened her back, wrapping her arms around Elphie's neck and squeezing her in another hug. The green girl took a few seconds to regulate her breathing and finally asked, "Can I kiss you?"  
  
Glinda barely breathed out a desperate "yes please" before she brought their lips together. Neither of them had any experience kissing so when they parted Elphaba tried to apologize. Glinda shushed her and wrapped her legs around Elphaba's waist, moving her hands to hold Elphie's face.  
  
Time seemed to slow as they kissed again, this time more intimate than tentative. Glinda moved a hand into Elphie's hair and pulled her even closer, sending tingles down her spine. They had both anticipated this for months, and it felt so gratifying to finally arrive at this tender moment. When they finally parted their faces mirrored adoration for each other and sweet smiles. Glinda wiggled her legs down from around Elphie's waist as she was lowered back to the ground. She folded herself into the green girl, finding comfort in the sound of her racing heart.  
  
"There's something else pretty exciting in my letter that I think you might like to read." Glinda stayed in Elphie's arms as they shuffled to the table to pick up the letter. Elphaba unfolded it with dramatic flair. "There are both private and double rooms available for Honors students. We have reviewed your campus housing application and your currently requested roommate has also been accepted into the honors college. Since you both qualify to live in the Honors Dormitory, we have updated your housing request on your behalf. You should receive confirmation of this from student housing."  
  
Glinda ducked out of Elphie's embrace and picked up one of the letters from housing. She threw her head back laughing, "If we would have paid more attention to these, that wouldn't have been such a surprise. This is the name of the Honors College dorms, not the upperclassman dorm we applied for."  
  
The girls jumped when the terrace doors open and Glinda's parents came out. "We were just leaving for work and heard all the commotion. What's got you girls so tickled?" Her father was always nosy, and she got the impression by looking back and forth between him and her mother that they had seen everything that had transpired in the last few minutes.  
  
"We're both honors scholars!" She thrust the letters from the honors college and her advisor into her mother's hands. "We're going to be living in the brand new honors Dormitory together!" She handed her father their letters from student housing. “Elphie just kissed me!" She pulled a shocked Elphaba down for another kiss, lingering longer than she intended. Elphie flushed a deeper shade of green as Glinda's parents took turns hugging both girls.  
  
Glinda's mother promised to make dinner reservations for that night to celebrate the girls becoming honors scholars. On their way off the terrace her father joked that he expected the girls to behave themselves while they were home alone.  
  
T  
  
The girls enjoyed their day together, with Glinda trying to sneak kisses as often as she could. They had a scrumptious dinner with Glinda's parents and went upstairs to bathe and put on nightclothes before meeting in Glinda's bedroom.  
  
They snuggled in their chair and held hands in comfortable silence. Glinda looked up at Elphie and asked softly. "Elphie do you really love me?"  
  
Elphaba kissed Glinda's forehead tenderly. "I think I do. Were you worried that I don't?"  
  
Glinda hid her face in Elphie's neck, "I'm not worried, I just wanted to hear you say it."  
  
Elphie let go of Glinda's hands and tickled under her chin to make her laugh and wiggle away. A tickle fight followed, with the girls chasing each other around the room. Eventually Glinda stumbled backwards onto her bed, leaving her vulnerable to the green girl's tickles in her underarms and across her stomach. Glinda finally yelled that she surrendered and Elphie stopped. Glinda tried to be sneaky and sat up to get her revenge, but Elphaba caught her hands and pinned her back down on the bed.  
  
She leaned over the blonde and kissed both cheeks, her forehead, and then her nose. "Glinda Upland. You are the strongest. Smartest. Most beautiful girl I have ever known." Each sentence was punctuated with a soft peck on her lips. Glinda felt her heart skip a beat as Elphie released one of her hands so she could caress Glinda's cheek. "I love you. I admire you. I absolutely adore you." Glinda reached up and pulled Elphie's face down to meet hers, any words the green girl was still saying lost between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this story, although I do plan to write and post an epilogue soon.
> 
> If you're here, please leave a comment. I thrive on words of affirmation. Also I just feel kind of lonely now that this story is over.


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